This is so beautiful. I’ve never heard this saying before, but I suddenly can’t imagine life without it. I’m inclined to take the advice literally: most days it feels like too much to have access to the images and headlines right in my pocket, though of course, we can’t look away. Even just imagining my hands in the cool ground and the sun on my back, putting seeds in the soil, brings me respite from the helplessness and pain. I had planned to put some nasturtium and sunflowers in the ground this weekend. I will do it with new awareness and intention. Thank you.
Absolutely let’s take it literally, Isabel. Along with the genocide there has been an intentional ecoside there and in so many places. Every single action matters. An atom’s weight of good matters and an atom’s weight of bad matters, to paraphrase one of my favourite verses of the Quran.
I think about that hadeeth a lot too. When pregnant with my son I was woken up by such a powerful dream of one of my late spiritual teachers. It was his last afternoon on earth, he knew it, and he was teaching his wife how to plant seeds in the ground. I took layers and layers of meaning from that dream. It reminded me of that hadeeth and it also transmitted something to me that I still can't quite express about the masculine handing over to the feminine.
You mention your father sharing for the eid khutba, and I see you, in your time and your generation, courageously and vulnerably sharing that which you received with the whole internet, connecting with those outside of your immediate community, and that feels so significant to me.
"I’m doing these things because I need to do my part. Because it’s hard enough to live with the cruelty of this world, but it would be even harder to live with my indifference to that cruelty." You have summed up how I feel. Like you, I'm trying to do my part, at least through writing, hoping my words - something - would pierce through the coldest of hearts. It pains me so much to know that my mother, brother and best friend think that these horrors are justified. I'm sending you a big hug Noha. We must keep hope. We must keep writing. We must keep speaking out. Your writing matters!
So much love to you Imola. I know it must hurt so much more to fight for equality and dignity when you lose relationships with loved ones in the process. Hugs received and hugs given
There’s a parable in the Bible that’s referred to parable if the talents. It’s often used to talk about the gifts God has given us we ought to use them - no matter how many. I’m reminded that God has given each of us a sapling. One day, He will ask us what did we do with it. Thank you for this, we all have a small responsibility to fight for the world we want but might not see.
Thank you so much for this, Noha. Honestly, I feel more hopeless than ever. And I find it difficult to say anything about Palestine without coming from a place of utter despair - for Palestinians, and for what this says about our very humanity and the monstrosity of what calls itself "our" government (particularly in the US; I’m a dual Canadian-US citizen).
And yet...so much gratitude to you for this sapling. From your hands and heart to ours.
I think I wrote this because I'm right where you are too, Dana. It's hard not to feel despair. I had iftar at the mosque on Sunday and sat next to an old friend I hadn't seen since last Ramadan. Her family is all in Gaza - she has one brother confirmed dead and two more brothers missing. The horror stories she told me - I am still unable to process. It's just trauma after trauma after trauma.
Noha, such a beautiful reminder and one of my favorite hadeeth. I feel like teaching a child to write a letter for peace to the President is like planting that sapling, too. Seems insane because the result with be nothing, no response, no change. Even if the world feels like it's ending, we're still accountable for the intention and doing the good we can, irrespective of outcomes or results. As writers, I hope we keep planting our saplings as weekly posts.
Absolutely agree. You’re teaching her to do take the action, no matter what. Will the president ever see it? Probably not. Should you do it anyway? Of course!
A very few years ago, I taught in a high school summer arts program in our city. One very difficult point was realizing that at 17, some of my students could not imagine themselves at 25. That imaginary future was too unrealistic to speak or write about. This would have been useful to hold out to them:
"In one of my favourite hadeeths1, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, teaches us that if the world is ending, and you have a sapling in your hand, plant the sapling."
In October, I planted a tree to honor my birth mother when she passed, as well as the children of the children she taught from so many countries over the years.
As the scholars say, Palestinians are teaching us how to live. I think of the video of the boy who waters the plant outside his tent. He has literally planted the seed of promise and faith for us.
The sapling hadith has captivated me for many years. In the eyes of Allah, no effort is ever in vain. What's truly intriguing about believers and the righteous is their unwavering hope amidst even the most despairing circumstances.
I loved reading this Noha and learning about the hadeeth. It reminds me of how powerful and necessary it is to have connection, whether it's to each other or to the earth.
Yes! Connection to each other and to earth is so so so important. We are the stewards of the environment. We as a society need to take that role much more seriously and stop only viewing earth as a source of resource extraction
I'm very much a results oriented person, but try to be realistic about what I have agency or influence over. If you think about a matrix of importance and agency, i want to be in that quadrant where the two meet.
And by important I don't just mean something political or where I have impact on another person or on people. It's sometimes important to me to take a nap or eat something or read your post and write this comment to you. Because you're my friend and I support and wish for your well-being.
I really appreciate your mention of the importance of the smaller and the personal too. I like the idea of agency and influence overlapping. For me, I am definitely aiming to still do even where my influence feels nonexistent. But I guess that’s the topic of the whole essay.
Wow. What a powerful piece. I think we all struggle with being unable to change things that are unbearable. Remember that you are called to do what you can, with what you have, where you are. You are not called to carry someone else’s burden.
Perhaps your burden is to care too much. Don’t let that stop you from doing what you can here and now. Leave it to Allah to sort out. Easier said than done.
"Remember that you are called to do what you can, with what you have, where you are. You are not called to carry someone else’s burden." This. And yes - easier said than done.
Miss you! Let's go for a walk in a couple of weeks when I've recovered from all the Ramadan and Eid happy chaos.
This is so beautiful. I’ve never heard this saying before, but I suddenly can’t imagine life without it. I’m inclined to take the advice literally: most days it feels like too much to have access to the images and headlines right in my pocket, though of course, we can’t look away. Even just imagining my hands in the cool ground and the sun on my back, putting seeds in the soil, brings me respite from the helplessness and pain. I had planned to put some nasturtium and sunflowers in the ground this weekend. I will do it with new awareness and intention. Thank you.
Absolutely let’s take it literally, Isabel. Along with the genocide there has been an intentional ecoside there and in so many places. Every single action matters. An atom’s weight of good matters and an atom’s weight of bad matters, to paraphrase one of my favourite verses of the Quran.
I keep thinking about the Mahmoud Darwish line, ““And I tell myself, a moon will rise from my darkness,” hoping it comes true soon.
Amen! Every line of his is a sucker punch to the gut in the best of ways
I think about that hadeeth a lot too. When pregnant with my son I was woken up by such a powerful dream of one of my late spiritual teachers. It was his last afternoon on earth, he knew it, and he was teaching his wife how to plant seeds in the ground. I took layers and layers of meaning from that dream. It reminded me of that hadeeth and it also transmitted something to me that I still can't quite express about the masculine handing over to the feminine.
You mention your father sharing for the eid khutba, and I see you, in your time and your generation, courageously and vulnerably sharing that which you received with the whole internet, connecting with those outside of your immediate community, and that feels so significant to me.
You’re going to make me cry, both with your dream and your connection of my father’s work and mine. I’m so grateful to have him as a teacher
Maybe the only one who could ever reach us is the daughter of a preacher 🤪🎵
Hahaaaa the crazy thing is he wasn't a preacher, just the volunteer who gave the khutba because the community was still so small.
💚💚💚
"I’m doing these things because I need to do my part. Because it’s hard enough to live with the cruelty of this world, but it would be even harder to live with my indifference to that cruelty." You have summed up how I feel. Like you, I'm trying to do my part, at least through writing, hoping my words - something - would pierce through the coldest of hearts. It pains me so much to know that my mother, brother and best friend think that these horrors are justified. I'm sending you a big hug Noha. We must keep hope. We must keep writing. We must keep speaking out. Your writing matters!
So much love to you Imola. I know it must hurt so much more to fight for equality and dignity when you lose relationships with loved ones in the process. Hugs received and hugs given
Yes, it hurts. Quite deeply. But the pain pales in comparison to the unimaginable suffering of the Palestinian people. I can’t bear it.
The only thing that helps me, literally, is a belief in God. “Everything will be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright, it’s not the end.”
There’s a parable in the Bible that’s referred to parable if the talents. It’s often used to talk about the gifts God has given us we ought to use them - no matter how many. I’m reminded that God has given each of us a sapling. One day, He will ask us what did we do with it. Thank you for this, we all have a small responsibility to fight for the world we want but might not see.
I love this parable . And I think we are each given opportunities and challenges that are unique to us, and God will ask us about each of them
Thank you so much for this, Noha. Honestly, I feel more hopeless than ever. And I find it difficult to say anything about Palestine without coming from a place of utter despair - for Palestinians, and for what this says about our very humanity and the monstrosity of what calls itself "our" government (particularly in the US; I’m a dual Canadian-US citizen).
And yet...so much gratitude to you for this sapling. From your hands and heart to ours.
I think I wrote this because I'm right where you are too, Dana. It's hard not to feel despair. I had iftar at the mosque on Sunday and sat next to an old friend I hadn't seen since last Ramadan. Her family is all in Gaza - she has one brother confirmed dead and two more brothers missing. The horror stories she told me - I am still unable to process. It's just trauma after trauma after trauma.
Noha, such a beautiful reminder and one of my favorite hadeeth. I feel like teaching a child to write a letter for peace to the President is like planting that sapling, too. Seems insane because the result with be nothing, no response, no change. Even if the world feels like it's ending, we're still accountable for the intention and doing the good we can, irrespective of outcomes or results. As writers, I hope we keep planting our saplings as weekly posts.
Absolutely agree. You’re teaching her to do take the action, no matter what. Will the president ever see it? Probably not. Should you do it anyway? Of course!
So many of us want what you want for the people in Palestine. We have to keep doing our parts.
Yes! So many of us. So many more as we learn the true horrors. Let’s keep going until it’s true, or until we pass it onto the next generation
A very few years ago, I taught in a high school summer arts program in our city. One very difficult point was realizing that at 17, some of my students could not imagine themselves at 25. That imaginary future was too unrealistic to speak or write about. This would have been useful to hold out to them:
"In one of my favourite hadeeths1, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, teaches us that if the world is ending, and you have a sapling in your hand, plant the sapling."
It's such a balm to the overwhelmed soul, isn't it?
In October, I planted a tree to honor my birth mother when she passed, as well as the children of the children she taught from so many countries over the years.
What a beautiful gift of memory…
As the scholars say, Palestinians are teaching us how to live. I think of the video of the boy who waters the plant outside his tent. He has literally planted the seed of promise and faith for us.
I have not seen that video but now I really want to! Subhan Allah. They really do teach us life.
I have a link! I’ll send it to you.
Please and thank you
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4F7PMmLuF6/?igsh=MThnYTIwYWFubjhjZg%3D%3D
I finally scheduled time to sit with your words. As always. Thank you. 😭
I appreciate the time you’ve given me, my brother 🙏🏽🙏🏽
The sapling hadith has captivated me for many years. In the eyes of Allah, no effort is ever in vain. What's truly intriguing about believers and the righteous is their unwavering hope amidst even the most despairing circumstances.
Yes! It makes me think of the last verses of surat Al-zalzala.
I loved reading this Noha and learning about the hadeeth. It reminds me of how powerful and necessary it is to have connection, whether it's to each other or to the earth.
Yes! Connection to each other and to earth is so so so important. We are the stewards of the environment. We as a society need to take that role much more seriously and stop only viewing earth as a source of resource extraction
This is beautiful.
Thx Holly 🖤🖤
Hi Noha,
I'm very much a results oriented person, but try to be realistic about what I have agency or influence over. If you think about a matrix of importance and agency, i want to be in that quadrant where the two meet.
And by important I don't just mean something political or where I have impact on another person or on people. It's sometimes important to me to take a nap or eat something or read your post and write this comment to you. Because you're my friend and I support and wish for your well-being.
I really appreciate your mention of the importance of the smaller and the personal too. I like the idea of agency and influence overlapping. For me, I am definitely aiming to still do even where my influence feels nonexistent. But I guess that’s the topic of the whole essay.
Wow. What a powerful piece. I think we all struggle with being unable to change things that are unbearable. Remember that you are called to do what you can, with what you have, where you are. You are not called to carry someone else’s burden.
Perhaps your burden is to care too much. Don’t let that stop you from doing what you can here and now. Leave it to Allah to sort out. Easier said than done.
"Remember that you are called to do what you can, with what you have, where you are. You are not called to carry someone else’s burden." This. And yes - easier said than done.
Miss you! Let's go for a walk in a couple of weeks when I've recovered from all the Ramadan and Eid happy chaos.